Blown multi-chambered plastic bottle and closure therefor

ABSTRACT

A multi-chamber bottle that can be made by a blowing process for separately holding different products, requiring only a single closure. The bottle may, for example, have two chambers with openings which are disposed inside the neck of the bottle. One of the opening is disposed coaxially with the neck. This allows a closure to be screwed or snapped onto the neck that is provided with a thread or a snap bead. In the process, the attachment penetrates the opening in a sealing manner. This creates two channels, which lead from the chambers to the outlet openings. The outlet openings can be closed with a cap.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to containers and, moreparticularly, to a plastic multi-chamber bottle, made by a blowingprocess, especially for separately holding different products, as wellas to a closure for such a multi-chamber bottle.

2. Background Information

Multi-chamber bottles are already on the market. They are used, forinstance, as vessels for two-component adhesive. To that end, thechambers are completely separated from one another and each is providedwith its own neck. A separate closure is required for each neck.

German Patent Disclosure DE-A-42 19 598, hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety, discloses a dual-chamber bottle thatcomprises two separate bottles, resting side by side on one another,each with its own bottle neck. The two bottles are held together by acommon plastic closure and can be closed by it. It provesdisadvantageous that this dual-chamber bottle comprises two parts andaccordingly cannot be produced in one piece by blowing. U.S. Pat. No.5,765,725, hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, describes acylindrical bottle that is divided by a dividing wall into two chambersof semicircular cross section. This reference says nothing about howsuch a bottle is to be produced. Production by blowing from a length oftubing is precluded, because a dividing wall has to be created.

In European Patent Application EP-A-0 875 460, which was not publishedbefore the priority date of the present application and is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety, a plastic multi-chamberbottle made by the blowing process is described that has at least twoseparate chambers whose walls are joined together by a rib and whichhave an opening inside or under a common neck. For bottles with chamberscompletely separated from one another, a spout is described, whichterminates the neck and has channels that lead from the openings of thechambers to a spout part. The spout part is secured to the bottle by afastening part. To that end, the fastening part has detent protrusionsthat snap onto an annular protrusion of the neck. Closing the variouspour openings of the multi-chamber bottle requires additional closuremeans.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the object of the present invention to create a plasticmulti-chamber bottle that can be made by the blowing process forseparately holding different products, which requires only a singleclosure. A closure of this kind is also to be created.

According to a first embodiment of the present invention, amulti-chamber bottle made of plastic and produced by a blowing processis provided, comprising at least two chambers separate from one another,whose walls are joined together by a rib, wherein each of the chambers,inside or below a common neck, has a respective opening; and a closurehaving at least two channels, wherein each channel leads from an openingof one chamber to one of at least two pour openings, and having at leastone cap for closing at least one of the pour openings.

One advantageous version of the multi-chamber bottle provides that theopening of one of the chambers is embodied as circular and disposedcoaxially to the neck; that the neck has a thread, and that the closureis provided with a thread corresponding to this thread. This has theadvantage that the closure can be joined in a simple way to themulti-chamber bottle by a screw connection.

The opening of one of the chambers can be embodied in circular form andcan be disposed coaxially to the neck. The opening is alsoadvantageously calibrated. This makes it possible for one of thechannels to be disposed coaxially to the neck and embodied as a tubularattachment, which when the closure is in place protrudes fittingly intothe coaxial opening of the chamber. This assures a tight connection ofthe chamber to the pour opening.

It is also possible for one or more or all of the openings of thechambers to be disposed eccentrically to the neck. Furthermore, it ispossible to provide a partition in the closure, the partition extendingto the bottom of the neck and separating the channels from one another.A flange that rests sealingly on the neck is advantageously provided onthe closure.

According to a second embodiment of the present invention, a closure fora multi-chamber bottle is provided, the bottle having at least twochambers separate from one another, whose walls are joined together by arib, wherein each of the chambers has one opening inside or below acommon neck, and having at least two channels in order to formpassageways for the contents of the chambers to corresponding pouropenings, the closure comprising at least one cap for closing one ormore pour openings; and fastening means for mounting the closure on themulti-chamber bottle.

Advantageously, one of the channels is disposed coaxially to thefastening means. The fastening means are expediently formed by a thread.The channel disposed coaxially to the neck can be formed by a tubularattachment. The attachment then acts as a coupling to the correspondingchamber of the bottle. The tubular attachment is advantageouslydimensioned such that with the closure in place, it engages thecalibrated opening of the associated chamber in a sealing manner.Expediently, the closure has a partition, which extends from the spoutthrough the bottle downward, so that when the closure in place thepartition rests on the bottom of the neck.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become moreapparent from the following detailed description of preferredembodiments, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawingswherein like elements have been represented by like reference numeralsand wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a dual-chamber bottle in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention, in which the opening of one of thechambers is disposed coaxially to the neck;

FIG. 2 is a section through view of the dual-chamber bottle of FIG. 1taken along the line II—II;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the bottle of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a section through view of the bottle of FIG. 1 with theclosure in place;

FIG. 5 illustrates a dual-chamber bottle with the closure in place inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention, in which thepour openings are disposed spaced apart from the bottle axis;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the bottle of FIG. 5 without the closure;

FIG. 7 illustrates a three-chamber bottle with the closure in place inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates a variant of a dual-chamber bottle with amirror-symmetrical embodiment of the chambers in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 9 is a top view of the bottle of FIG. 8 without the closure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The multi-chamber bottle 10 shown in FIGS. 1-4 can be made from plasticby a blowing process. It has two chambers 11, 13, whose walls are joinedtogether by a rib 15. The chambers 11, 13 can be different in size andcan also have different shapes. The rib 15 is formed upon closure of theblowing mold, in that the two halves of the blowing mold press togetherthe tubing along a practically vertical line, so that the two opposedwalls are joined to one another. This also creates the indentations 17that are visible in FIG. 2. In the region of the neck 19, the chambers11, 13 have openings 21, 23, which discharge inside or below this commonneck 19. The opening 23 is advantageously calibrated. This makes a tightconnection with a closure possible. A circular embodiment and coaxialdisposition of the opening 23 relative to the neck 19 make it possibleto use a closure provided with a thread. To that end, a male thread 20can be provided on the neck 19. However, it would also be possible toprovide a female thread on the neck 19. Still other fastening means arealso possible, however, such as a snap device as in FIG. 5. The opening23 is located in the bottom 25 of the neck 19. The other opening 21 ispractically semicircular. However, it would also be possible to makethis opening circular, oval, or of some other shape.

The wall thickness of the multi-chamber bottle 10 described isexpediently so thin that the paste-like contents, for instance, of thebottle can be expelled by pressure. However, one skilled in the art willreadily appreciate that given a suitable embodiment of the bottle, itcan also be suitable for liquid or powdered contents.

As FIG. 4, a closure 27 is screwed onto the neck 19 of the bottle 10.The closure 27 is expediently made in one piece of plastic. The closure27 has a flange 33, which protrudes into the neck 19 and seals it off.The closure 27 furthermore has channels 35, 37, which lead from theopenings 21, 23 of the chambers 11, 13 to the pour openings 39, 40. Forfastening the closure 27, there is a thread 41, which fits the thread 20of the neck 19. A cap 42, pivotably connected to the closure body 28with a film hinge, for instance, serves to close the pour openings 39,40. To that end, pegs 44, 46 are provided on the cap 42, which when thecap 42 is closed penetrate the pour openings 39, 40. It is also possibleto split the cap 42 in a sense, or in other words to provide a separatecap for each pour opening 39, 40, so that each chamber 11, 13 can beevacuated independently of another chamber. Even a closure embodied inthis way can still be made in one piece.

The channel 37 disposed coaxially with the neck 19 is formed by atubular attachment 43. This attachment 43 is dimensioned such that withthe closure 27 in place, it sealingly engages the expediently calibratedopening 23.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6, neither of the openings 21, 23 isdisposed concentrically with the neck 19. Accordingly, the closure 27 isnot embodied so that it can be screwed on, either. The difference fromthe closure of FIG. 4 is thus essentially that instead of a thread,detent protrusions 41′ are provided, which can snap onto an annular bead20′ of the neck 19. Otherwise, the closure 27 is embodied the same asthat of FIG. 4, so that its description there can be referred to.

The exemplary embodiment of FIG. 7 has a three-chamber bottle 10′ withthe chambers 11, 13 and 14. The three-chamber bottle is embodiedanalogously to the dual-chamber bottle of FIGS. 5 and 6, so thatreference may be made to the description above. Instead of one rib, tworibs 15′ are provided, which once again extend vertically over asubstantial portion of the bottle. The closure 27′ is embodied such thatall three chambers 11, 13, 14 each communicate with one of pour openings39, 40.

The multi-chamber bottle 10″ of the third exemplary embodiment in FIGS.8 and 9 is embodied practically mirror-symmetrically, at least in theregion of the neck 19. The openings 21, 23 of the chambers 11, 13 arethus embodied practically identically. They are relatively large, thusfacilitating filling of the bottle.

In accordance with the embodiment of the bottle, the closure 27″ is alsoembodied largely symmetrically. The channels 35, 37 are separated fromone another by a partition 49, which rests on the connection point 51 ofthe two chambers 11 and 13. This connection point 51 is in a sense aneck bottom 25, reduced to a narrow strip, as shown in FIG. 6. Althoughperfect sealing between the two chambers 11 and 13 is not achieved bythe partition 49, still for many intended uses of the multi-chamberbottle this may suffice. For paste-like products, for instance, there isvirtually no risk of problematic mixing anyway.

The closure 27″ has a cap 42, which is joined to the closure body 28with a film hinge 53. As already mentioned earlier, the closure can alsohave separate caps for the different pour openings, yet can still bemade in one piece. As a fastening means for placement of the closure onthe bottle, the closure can have a thread 41. A snap device can be usedinstead, however.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the presentinvention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing fromthe spirit or essential characteristics thereof. For instance, variouscharacteristics of the embodiments shown can be combined; e.g., a snapclosure can be provided instead of a thread. The presently disclosedembodiments are therefore considered in all respects illustrative andnot restricted. The scope of the invention is indicated by the appendedclaims rather than the foregoing description and all changes that comewithin the meaning and range and equivalence thereof are intended to beembraced within.

What is claimed is:
 1. A multi-chambered bottle made of plastic andproduced by a blowing process, comprising: at least two chambersseparate from one another, whose walls are joined together by a rib,wherein each of the chambers, inside or below a common neck, has arespective opening; and a closure having at least two channels, whereinsaid closure is separate from said two chambers and is detachablyconnected to said common neck of said at least two chambers, whereineach channel leads from an opening of one chamber to one of at least twopour openings, and having at least one cap for closing at least one ofthe pour openings.
 2. The multi-chamber bottle of claim 1, wherein theopening of one of the chambers is circular and disposed coaxially to theneck.
 3. The multi-chamber bottle of claim 1, wherein at least oneopening of the chambers is disposed eccentrically to the neck.
 4. Themulti-chamber bottle of claim 1, wherein the closure has a flange thatrests sealingly on the neck.
 5. The multi-chamber bottle of claim 1,wherein at least one of the channels, in the form of a tubularattachment, protrudes sealingly into the opening of one chamber.
 6. Themulti-chamber bottle of claim 1, wherein the closure has a partition,which extends to the bottom of the neck and separates the channels fromone another.
 7. The multi-chamber bottle of claim 1, wherein the neckhas a thread, and the closure is provided with a thread corresponding tothis thread.
 8. The multi-chamber bottle of claim 1, wherein a snap beadis disposed on the neck, and the closure is provided with a snap device.9. Closure for a multi-chambered bottle, the bottle having at least twochambers separate from one another, whose walls are joined together by arib, wherein each of the chambers has one opening inside or below acommon neck, wherein said closure is separate from said two chambers andis detachably connected to said common neck of said at least twochambers and having at least two channels in order to form passagewaysfor the contents of the chambers to corresponding pour openings, theclosure comprising: at least one cap for closing one or more pouropenings; and fastening means for mounting the closure on themulti-chambered bottle.
 10. The closure of claim 9, wherein one of thechannels is disposed coaxially to the fastening means.
 11. The closureof claim 9, wherein at least one channel is disposed eccentrically tothe neck.
 12. The closure of claim 9, comprising a flange for sealinglycontacting the neck.
 13. The closure of claim 9, wherein at least one ofthe channels is in the form of a tubular attachment, which isdimensioned such that with the closure mounted in place, it sealinglyengages the opening of the associated chamber.
 14. The closure of claim9, comprising at least one partition, which extends downward from thepour openings, so that when the closure is mounted in place it rests onthe bottom of the neck of the bottle.
 15. The closure of claim 9,wherein the fastening means are formed by a thread.
 16. The closure ofclaim 9, wherein the fastening means are formed by a snap device. 17.The closure of claim 9, comprising a separately actuatable cap for eachpour opening.